A Degree in Friendship
by sammyalex-in-the-snogbox
Summary: Cramming for finals, house parties, bad tinder dates, all nighters, and everything else that college brings. A multiship series of oneshots featuring your favourite NewWho characters set in their college years! All chapters marked with a rating ranging from K-M. I'll accept prompts for this fic through reviews, PM's and messages on my tumblr: talesfromthesnogbox.


**Rating:** T

 **Word Count:** 1,172

 **Summary:** The Doctor and Clara and internet friends who fall in love with each others when they meet.

 **Notes:** First AU oneshot! This will be the first chapter of a series of oneshots, all set within a college AU. Feel free to send me prompts either here or on my tumblr talesfromthesnogbox. Hope you guys like it!

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Clara's summer job hadn't been the most… interesting thing she'd ever done. Intern at a publishing house specializing in… fact checking of all things wasn't exactly where she saw herself working, not for four months on not even decent pay. But it was experience, and something for her resume in the end, _and_ she didn't do much work.

Most of the time, Clara loved her boss. She worked hard for her, and did everything she was asked to do, but unfortunately it was usually really easy work. Her boss was really nice, but she hardly gave Clara any work to do, so Clara was left to her own devices on her laptop for half the day.

Sometimes she wrote, sometimes she read, but sometimes, she talked to her new friend, The Doctor.

Clara had been warned about people on the internet. She'd heard all the stories about girls getting "Catfished", people being stalked, and every other scary encounter that could possibly happen, but she had a great connection with John. The Doctor and the Impossible girl were virtually inseparable.

She'd always wanted to meet him. They made great internet friends, but they lived on opposite ends of the country, and with their schedules, they were never able to meet.

The summer dragged on, and Clara and John continued to talk. She'd show up exhausted to work, getting little sleep because they'd stay up all night talking, skyping, texting, laughing. He was the type of person who she was just comfortable around. She'd brought him out of his shell, but he'd open up to only her. He made her feel special and she made him feel at ease.

When school started again, Clara was relieved to be finished her job. She would put all her focus on her third year of university, promising to study and try new things, and that's how she found herself at a house party.

If she was being honest, she really didn't want to be there. One of her friends had dragged her out, telling her she needed a man ("A _real_ man Clara, not some guy on the internet."), but Clara wasn't having it. She pulled out her phone to send him a text.

[ To: John ] Kill me, this night is awful.

John was a young, attractive man, he probably had plans of his own, and she didn't expect him to respond so soon.

[ To: Clara ] What's wrong, did something happen to you?

She smiled and texted him back; his concern was endearing.

[ To: John ] No, just an awful party.

[ To: Clara ] Looks like we're in the same boat then. Too many drunk people, not enough room. The Sherlock posters he's got are a nice touch though, at least the host has good taste in television.

Clara frowned and looked towards the next room. _Sherlock posters?_

[ To: John ] That's funny, the house I'm at has posters on the wall too.

There was a long response before she received another message.

[ To: Clara ] Clara, are you by any chance at Jack Harkness' house?

Her eyes went wide and she scanned the room. Clara's heart was pounding, because she was indeed at Jack's house.

[ To: John ] Yes… why?

[ To: Clara ] Look up.

She did, and saw the man she'd only ever seen on a screen, John Smith, standing across the room.

Immediately, Clara pushed through the crowd, and didn't even say anything before she wrapped her arms around him. John tensed at the unexpected contact, but settled into the hug and pulled her closer, nuzzling his face in her hair.

She pulled away after a moment, realizing she'd just attack-hugged her internet friend in the middle of a crowded house party. "Sorry, hi, I'm Clara, nice to meet you."

He chuckled, sending her heart into a frenzy and butterflies in her stomach. "I'm John. Wow, finally."

"Here we are."

"You're so beautiful." He blurted out. Clara could see his face heat up and giggled nervously. She never imagined them actually meeting, it was extremely surreal, having him there, and she couldn't quite process it.

"D'you wanna get out of here?" John frowned. "I—I mean, I was kind of forced into the party, maybe taking a walk might be more fun."

John nodded. "Okay." He pulled out his phone. "Sorry, let me just text Rory so he knows I left."

"Rory Williams?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" He asked her, perplexed.

"His girlfriend Amy is the one who dragged me out tonight. Now come on, let's not waste another minute here."

Clara and John ended up at a little pub sharing a plate of chips. She felt awkward at first, sure, she knew John as well as she knew any of her other friends, but to suddenly be sitting across from him in a cozy corner booth was extremely different than their usual environment.

He couldn't stop looking at her. Clara was _right there_ and he couldn't believe it. She was talking to him, and he couldn't tell you what she was saying, because he was just so focused on the fact that she was _there_.

"John?"

"Hm?" He turned to her, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"It's getting late, do you mind walking me home?"

He nodded and stood, leaving money on the table to cover the bill. As they headed towards Clara's residence, John shyly nudged her hand with his own, playing off how his heart sped up at the thought of walking her home, holding her hand as if they were… together or something.

Clara sensed that John was trying to do something, trying to ask something without having to physically ask her, so she did it for him. Slowly, as if she were trying not to frighten him, she took his hand, looking to him knowingly.

"Sorry." John apologized with embarrassment.

"It's okay." She replied with a shy smile. They walked in silence until they reached her door, and she turned to look at him. "Well, this is me."

"Yes, this is you, your place, Clara's home."

She giggled and reached up, kissing him on the cheek, making him go pink. "Goodnight John."

As Clara turned to unlock her door, he caught her by the hand and pulled her into him. He timidly leaned in, heart pounding in his chest, and kissed her slowly, only once, before pulling away.

"Goodnight Clara." He told her, backing away from the dazed woman's door.

Clara could only stand there completely and utterly shocked. As John neared the end of her street, she realized she'd stayed still the entire time, and fumbled with her keys. Her heart pounded while she struggled to unlock her door, and once she was in, she sank to the floor against the wall.

"I love him." She said aloud, disbelief colouring her voice. "Fuck, I actually love him."


End file.
